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PODCAST

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations

Inductive Automation

Ignition is the foundation. It connects data across the enterprise, enables you to rapidly build any industrial application, and scales without limits — making it the only truly universal industrial platform for enterprise integration. Ignited exists to show you what that foundation makes possible.Each episode, Travis Cox, Chief Technology Evangelist, and Thomas Burke, Technology Evangelist, from Inductive Automation go deep with the people actually doing the work — end users, system integrators,

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All Episodes

64:46

Live from ICC 2026: The Community Speaks

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/10/07

Over 1,900 engineers, integrators, executives, and builders gather at ICC 2026 in Sacramento, California, for what is shaping up to be the biggest Ignition Community Conference ever. To hear what the community is actually thinking, Travis and Tom set up a live studio right at the conference to interview eight community members across various backgrounds. Asking every guest the same set of questions, this episode captures unfiltered insights into why people keep coming back, what caught their

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40:27

Architecture First: Dylan DuFresne on Digital...

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/09/30

Digital transformation initiatives rarely fail because of the software, they fail because the underlying data structure wasn't built to scale. In this episode, Travis and Tom talk with Dylan DuFresne, Co-Founder and Chief Architect at Abelara, about building industrial architectures designed for long-term viability. Dylan shares a practical, field-tested perspective on the Unified Namespace (UNS) as a core strategy rather than a buzzword, explaining how true data ownership, proper context, and

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41:46

The Factory Brain: Remus Pop on Connectivity,...

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/09/23

Connecting plant-floor hardware is a solved problem; the real challenge is making that data act intelligently. In this episode, Travis and Tom sit down with Remus Pop, head of Concept Reply's industrial AI practice, to discuss his "Factory Brain" architecture. Remus explains why simply building dashboards isn't enough, how knowledge graphs bridge the gap between raw data and contextual intelligence, and how emerging tools like MCP and large language models are transforming plant operations. Discover

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28:28

How 4IR Runs Cloud-First Industrial Infrastructure...

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/09/16

Deploying Ignition once is one thing. Deploying it across hundreds of sites around the world, keeping it running, pushing updates to every location simultaneously, and making it financially sustainable in the cloud is an entirely different challenge.In this episode, hosts Travis Cox and Thomas Burke sit down with James Burnand from 4IR Solutions to unpack what enterprise-scale Ignition architecture actually looks like in practice. James breaks down a real-world, cloud-first deployment 4IR manages

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55:42

Built for the Operator: Julio Velasco on Design,...

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/09/09

Great software isn't just about functionality, it's about how effectively a human can use it when it counts. In this episode, Travis and Tom catch up with Julio Velasco, founder of IO SCADA and former Inductive Automation design engineer who helped establish early visual standards for the platform. Julio shares his core philosophy on operator-first HMI design, the technical responsibility of building clean industrial interfaces, and how his work training the next generation at the Volt Institute is

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40:15

Batch, Built Right: How Open Platforms Are Rewriting...

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/09/02

For decades, batch processing in complex industries like pharma, chemical, and food production has been held back by rigid, locked-down systems. In this episode, Travis and Tom join Polaris Automation's CEO Scott Cooke and SVP of Product Development Mark Merino to discuss breaking free from legacy MES constraints. They explore how building flexible solutions on Ignition, like their Chordata framework, allows manufacturers to scale faster, modernize iteratively, and organize plant data so it's

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52:12

From Namespace to Intelligence: Alex Marcy on...

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/08/26

What happens when an integrator stops just using software and starts pushing it past its conventional limits? In this episode, Travis and Tom sit down with Alex Marcy, CEO of Corso Systems and long-time community trailblazer, to explore the cutting edge of industrial automation. Drawing on 15+ years of hands-on platform experience, Alex breaks down the reality of scaling a business around Ignition, the practical implementation of Unified Namespace (UNS), and how he’s leveraging the Model Context

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34:29

The Interoperability Imperative: How CESMII Is...

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/08/19

Raw data isn't the problem for modern factories, it's accessibility. When critical information stays buried inside closed, legacy systems, scaling AI and enterprise automation becomes nearly impossible. In this episode, Travis and Tom sit down with CESMII’s CEO John Dyck and Chief Technology Architect Jonathan Wise to tackle the push for open, interoperable manufacturing standards across the U.S. They discuss how pairing open frameworks like SM Profiles and the i3X API with Ignition gives plants

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37:56

Three Engineers, One Ignition Platform, Zero Ceilings

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/08/12

What does it actually take to grow as an Ignition engineer?In this episode, Travis and Tom sit down with three engineers from MartinCSI—Todd Ebright (10+ years of experience), Kierstyn Neumeier (custom components & energy challenges), and Matthew Excoffon (freshly Gold-Certified)—to trace the full arc of the career path. From surviving the early learning curve and leaning on the Inductive Automation forums to building award-winning, high-performance projects, they share what the craft of

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42:38

Breaking the Gridlock: Redefining the Edge of...

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/08/05

The old excuses — fragile environments, siloed systems, vendor lock-in — don't hold up anymore. In this episode, we dive into the high-stakes world of industrial edge computing, interoperability, and system architecture built to survive (and thrive) at the edge. This one's for the rebels, architects, and visionaries reshaping heavy industry, logistics, and field operations.Operational technology should be seamless, indestructible, and fiercely intelligent — and these four real-world case studies

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43:56

Interoperable: The Journey to Open Process...

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/07/29

For decades, industrial automation was dominated by proprietary, vendor-locked control systems — but that's changing. In this episode, we sit down with Don Bartusiak to explore the journey of Open Process Automation (OPA), from its origins as an industry response to vendor lock-in to its current state as a real, deployable standard reshaping process control.Guest: Don Bartusiak - President at Collaborative Systems Integration

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40:55

Empowering the Workforce of Tomorrow

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/07/22

The industrial automation industry has a talent challenge. The question is who is doing something about it — and how.Travis and Tom sit down with David Grussenmeyer, Director of Strategic Alliances, and Annabelle Haley, Educational Engagement Program Manager at Inductive Automation, to explore the company's commitment to building the next generation of industrial automation professionals. From donated Ignition licenses and free Inductive University training to a purpose-built OT curriculum and the

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42:06

Where Passion Meets Production: The Taylor Guitars...

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/07/15

What happens when a small automation team at a legendary guitar manufacturer decides to build something extraordinary? You get a story that will inspire every engineer in industrial automation. Travis and Tom welcome Tyler Robertson, Automation Manager at Taylor Guitars, for one of the most unique and compelling conversations in Ignited's first season. Taylor Guitars is not just a manufacturer — it is an ESOP, a sustainability leader, and an organization deeply committed to the craft behind every

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33:16

How AI and a Smarter OT Stack Are Orchestrating the...

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/07/08

AI in industrial automation has generated more hype than almost any technology in recent memory. But what is actually happening on the plant floor — and what does it take to move from data collection to genuine intelligence? Travis and Tom welcome Jeff Winter, VP of Commercial Strategy at Belden and one of the most recognized voices in smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0. Jeff serves on the boards of ISA and MESA and as an advisor to CESMII, bringing an unusually clear-eyed perspective on where the

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36:05

The Evolution of OT Architectures

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/07/01

Good software doesn't just solve today's problems — it anticipates tomorrow's. In this episode, we explore how the architectural decisions made in industrial automation today will determine how flexible, scalable, and resilient systems are for years to come. Hosts Travis and Tom sit down with Kevin McClusky, Chief Technology Architect at Inductive Automation, for a wide-ranging conversation about how OT architectures have shifted over the past decade and where they need to go next. Kevin draws on

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28:21

How Ignition Empowers Humanity

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/06/24

Most people know Ignition as a powerful platform for manufacturing and infrastructure — but this episode reveals something far bigger. Travis and Tom sit down with David Grussenmeyer and the remarkable Liliya Valihun to explore how Inductive Automation's Community Impact program is enabling people to use Ignition as a tool for solving deeply human problems. The conversation covers how Inductive Automation is supporting mission-driven organizations creating real-world change — and how Hebron Soft has

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24:10

Data Center's Scale Drives A DevOps Approach

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/06/17

Data centers are no longer just IT infrastructure — they're becoming some of the most complex, process-controlled facilities in the world. In this episode, we explore how explosive growth in data center demand is reshaping what it means to be an OT engineer, and why the tools of modern software development are now essential on the plant floor.Hosts Travis and Tom sit down with Jason and Keith to unpack how the surging demand for data center capacity is driving a fundamental shift in OT

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49:40

Data in Motion — MQTT, Sparkplug B, and Why the Edge...

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/06/10

Data in Motion — MQTT, Sparkplug B, and Why the Edge Changes EverythingWhat happens when you need to move data across an entire enterprise — reliably, efficiently, and at scale — without drowning in network traffic or proprietary middleware? That's where MQTT and Sparkplug B come in. Travis and Tom sit down with Benson Houghland, VP of Products at Opto 22, and Arlen Nipper, co-inventor of MQTT, to trace the protocol's origins in satellite telemetry all the way to its role as the backbone of

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33:55

The Foundation Beneath the Foundation — OPC, OPC UA,...

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/06/03

Before you can understand what makes Ignition powerful, you have to understand the standards it's built on. In this deep-dive fireside chat, Travis and Tom welcome Kevin Herron — one of the architects behind Ignition's OPC UA implementation — to decode the world of OPC and OPC UA from the ground up. This isn't a marketing conversation. It's a technical one. Kevin walks through what OPC actually is, why OPC UA represented such a fundamental leap forward, and how OPC UA Part 5 and the Companion

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28:06

The Inductive Advantage — Training, Support, and the...

Ignited: Striking Industrial Automation Conversations ·

2026/05/27

Great software only creates value when people know how to use it. And in industrial automation, where the stakes include uptime, safety, and production output, the difference between a successful deployment and a frustrating one often comes down to the resources behind the platform — not just the platform itself. In this episode, Travis and Tom welcome Dave Fogle to explore something that doesn't get talked about enough: the full ecosystem of enablement that Inductive Automation has built around

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